Drowsiness detection on the go

Wednesday, November 18, 2015 by Scott Coles

Since Optalert began selling its early-warning drowsiness detection products, the company has focussed its attention on professional drivers. With the release of our new product, the eagle PORTABLE, we have increased our footprint and we are now offering drowsiness detection for a professional mobile workforce.

The eagle PORTABLE looks like a small smartphone and has a similar functionality to the larger and robust eagle INDUSTRIAL. When paired with Optalert's wireless glasses, a driver's drowsiness score using the 0-10 scale of the Johns Drowsiness Scale (JDS™) is displayed on the touch screen, alerting users to their risk of drowsiness.

This unit can be transferred between offices or vehicles and can be placed on a car dash, at a desk, worn on a belt loop or the arm if a job requires a lot of physical movement.

Falling asleep at the wheel

Many professional drivers, especially long haul drivers, are involved in a disproportionately high number of fatigue-related accidents.

But an alarming statistic is the number of car drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. It is estimated two thirds of drivers having a drowsy incident are car drivers. And I’m sorry to report, men make up the highest proportion of those numbers with an estimated 85% causing drowsiness-related crashes, and more than a third of those aged less than 30.

But traditionally we have focussed our attention on drivers operating heavy vehicles and machinery, and hence not tackling this high number of car crashes. Driving to and especially from work can be hazardous, particularly for shift workers who are tired after long and irregular working hours.

Thankfully now the eagle PORTABLE ensures they are monitored when they are at most danger.

Protecting you to work, at work and home from work

This is tremendous news for drivers, but the even more exciting component to our new eagle PORTABLE is the ability to monitor people anywhere in their working environments.

We know there are many professions who make decisions with life-affecting outcomes. For this group, the dangerous state of drowsiness can have substantial and sometimes catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately these professionals are often working at times when they should be sleeping which significantly increases their risk of being drowsy.

Professions including hospital and emergency workers, customs and security officers, on-call specialists, console operators and aviation and air traffic controllers can all now be monitored around the clock.

If you have employees who make life-affecting decisions each day, potentially impacting their own safety or the safety of others, you should think about investing in our eagle PORTABLE early-warning drowsiness detection system.

Not sure whether eagle INDUSTRIAL or eagle PORTABLE is right for you? Answer just a couple of questions to find out. Click below to start our short quiz.